#63 – Amy Burkoski – Genetic Expression in Twins

Meet Amy (left)

I turned 53 this year on November 11. I work full time, in sales, I have a 23 year old son and an 18 year old daughter. I started eating KETO after my twin (Debbie Wagner (fatfueledat50) convinced me. I was able to get my husband on board. Since I always dieted to stay thin and endured the struggles, I am thrilled with the results and benefits from eating KETO. In my late 40’s I found it impossible to diet with a standard American diet. The calorie restriction and always being hungry was just not working! Now that I eat a KETO diet, I enjoy food, I’m not hungry all the time and my body looks better than some people half my age.

Show Notes:

ABOUT AMY

• I am a newly 53-year old woman
• I am a mother of an 18-year old daughter
• I also have a husband who I got on Keto, which I think is great because Keto with a partner is so much easier
• I work full time and I am in sales
• My whole life, I have been somebody who tried to stay thin
• I tried a lot of diets in my past
• Unlike Debbie, I do not have an eating disorder
• For me, it was always just growing up in the 70’s and 80’s and everybody had to be thin
• When I hit my 40’s and I tried the standard American diet and just restricting calories, I was gaining weight and always hungry
• When Debbie mentioned Keto, I thought I don’t want to let my twin get thinner than me, so I am going to try Keto too
• I had Debbie guiding me all the way
• For me, just following the steps, and right away, I just knew that Keto was going to be a lifestyle for me
• I am about a year into it now
• I am very passionate about Keto and there’s a lot of benefits with it
• Same as Debbie, I started kind of shaking with this essential tremor
• If I held a coffee, it would spill
• It was so much worse in my right hand than in my left hand
• The major benefits are when I stopped with the sugar
• It took few months and it happened gradually
• And overtime, I noticed my tremor going away
• When I would go off Keto, and I don’t go off anymore just in the beginning, my tremor would come back
• So, when I lower the sugar and carbs again, it gets better again
• My body does not respond well with sugar
• Now, I am close to 118 or 119 and I am not going to lose any more weight, but it’s more of the body composition
• Not so much the weight, but I definitely went from a 4 to a 2
• We have always been small

WHAT IS YOUR KETO STYLE

• I try to be a little bit more intuitive
• When I say Keto, there’s zero sugar and I keep it a very low carb
• Just under 20 grams
• In the morning, I do try and get my workout done, fasted
• And then, I try to go as long as I can without being so hungry
• For me, I usually start getting hungry around noon and that’s good
• I like to have my hot coffee when I break my fast, with the heavy cream with it and monk fruit drops
• And then, I’ll have my first meal a few minutes after the coffee
• Then, I’ll have a smaller meal for dinner
• I do try and stop eating around 7:00 PM
• 8:00 is probably the latest I’d like to eat, so that way, my fast would be from 8:00 until noon or 1:00 PM the next day
• Typically, I always have egg salad in the house
• I do like having a chicken salad with the primal kitchen mayonnaise
• I break the fast with a chicken salad or egg salad
• I make big salads too with protein in it – that’s another favorite I have
• Just whatever protein like salmon, and primal kitchen dressing too
• And I always throw like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds so there’s some crunch
• I definitely enjoy cheese on my Keto journey and it does not affect me negatively
• Another favorite of mine is a crustless quiche
• I will take ground sausage, ground beef and onion
• Sauté that, drain the fat and put it aside
• I take the spinach and sauté it to the fat from the sausage
• In a casserole dish, crack a dozen to dozen and half eggs and I whipped that up together then I add some heavy cream, salt and pepper
• Coconut spray the pan and then, I layer the sausage on the bottom and I take a gruyere cheese or cheddar and then, pour the egg mixture and bake that
• You can put bacon in it or ham
• I always have that in the refrigerator
• I tracked in the beginning
• I am not that kind of girl who likes to track
• Your keto In the beginning, is not going to be the same as your Keto in the end
• It really is a journey
• In the beginning, I tracked and I tested myself with those blood ketone meters, but I don’t do that as much anymore
• Because now, I could wake-up and know just by how I am feeling if I am in Ketosis or not
• It’s more of mental clarity and energy that I can really tell
• I never really track calories
• You just have the ketones do all the work
• In the beginning, you do kind of need that more for a crutch because you are used to having something sweet after you eat
• But over time, it will kind of diminish
• I am getting to that point now that I don’t crave the sweets like I did

ADVICE

• Keep Calm and Keto On
• If you get tempted and you do break it, instead of freaking out and giving up, you just have to keep calm and get right back at it
• Eating Keto is a lifestyle
• Not to be afraid of salt – that’s a myth
• Your body needs the salt
• Listen to podcasts too
• Listen to your body
• If you just keep listening to your body, your body will tell you what you need

MOST GRATEFUL FOR

• My health
• The love of my family
• Friends

GUILTY PLEASURE

• Peanut butter

FAVORITE BOOK

• The Help

FAVORITE QUOTE

• Stay Calm and Keto On

FAVORITE VACATION SPOT

• Riviera Maya, Mexico

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